“...you can appreciate the fragile, painful condition the patient is in as he triesto bounce back from having his heart stopped and lungs deflated for a few hours.

He was frequently bewildered by the assorted cramps, spasms, and episodes ofincessant pain.”I was 40-years-old when I wrote the first Editor’s Note for RDH magazine. The Editor’s Note referred to anarticle about heart disease in the October 1995 issue, which coincided with the reflection above regardingmy father’s experience with heart surgery. The rest of it was forgettable. RDH had just moved into its newhome at Penn Well Corp., and we had to, for example, make sure everyone knew what the new address andphone number was.

The 1995 Editor’s Note, of course, was not my first article about dentistry. I had written about the pro-fession numerous times during the decade before becoming the editor of the magazine. So, I was around30-years-old when I wrote my first article about a dental subject. Was I too young? I didn’t think so, and Icertainly wouldn’t think of a 30-year-old today as being too young.

Jasmin Haley, the youthful president-elect of the Maryland Dental Hygienists’ Association, recently responded to a Facebook discussion about dental publications. She posted, “I think most topics [published in
dental magazines] are relevant, but I would appreciate more diversity in the authors and allowing a wider
reach from the younger generation that wants to share.” Jasmin contacted us in April 2016. In her email, she
said, “I have an interest in writing and would like to know the process of consideration for RDH magazine. I
appreciate any assistance you can give.” We sent her the writer’s guidelines (also available at RDHmag.com),
and asked a general question regarding what motivates her as a writer. “I am finding that the voice of millennials is not easily found,” she said, “and we should be talking about career advancement from a younger
person’s point of view.” At the time Jasmin wrote, we were trying to shift her toward a focus on articles appearing in RDH eVillage, and she has since written several good articles for the digital publication.

I think millennial dental hygienists reap some benefits from their predecessors, most notably in the scopeof dental hygiene practice, as well as tremendous advances in dental products for both the patient and theprofessional. But what I wonder about is: The job market was different for many millennial hygienists. Re-member the many consumer publications that said dental hygiene was the “place to be for jobs, jobs, jobs”?Yet the profession wasn’t quite ready for the boom, so I think millennials have a different mindset about theircareers in dental hygiene.Should they write about it? Yes, absolutely. Share your voice and dreams about the profession with yourpeers, young and old. There is no age requirement to writing for RDH.By the way, Anne Guignon shares her thoughts about the power of networking for heart surgery patientsand their families on page 34. And, yes, my father is still alive, presumably waiting for me to wish him ahappy Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day, Dad!